Jean-Marc Lalonde  Mr. Speaker, on Friday, a prominent leader in my riding received the country's highest civilian honour, the Order of Canada. Jean-Marc Lalonde is a luminary in the Franco-Ontarian community. Active in municipal and provincial politics for over 40 years, including 15 years as the mayor of Rockland, he has worked tirelessly to promote and preserve the vitality of the French language.

Canada Labour Code  Madam Speaker, one of the questions and comments that we continually hear from the official opposition across the aisle is that there is no broad support by the membership for unions. I can assure the House that I have not received one phone call, one email, or any correspondence against Bill C-4.

Canada Labour Code  Madam Speaker, I listened with interest to the member's speech. He quoted some polls with respect to the support for Bill C-525 and Bill C-377 at the time. I want to comment on the behaviour of the previous government. In the budget, $900 million was announced before there were even negotiations.

Income Tax Act  Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for his question. He mentioned the middle class, and I often hear the New Democratic Party talk about the middle class. I have yet to hear the NDP's definition of the middle class. As he knows, the cost of living varies quite a bit from city to city.

Income Tax Act  Mr. Speaker, from what I recall we did not cancel TFSAs, we just put a reasonable limit on them so that the children of our children can benefit from them. The member would understand that the last minister of finance said that because the limit was increased the prime minister's grandchildren would be responsible for the lack of revenue to the federal coffers.

Income Tax Act  Mr. Speaker, the member for Stormont—Dundas—South Glengarry is a good neighbour, and it seems like today is the day of neighbours. The member for Malpeque is my office neighbour here in Ottawa. I thank the member for the middle class question. As he understands, it varies from city to city.

Income Tax Act  Mr. Speaker, I would like to share my time with the member for Malpeque. It is with great pleasure that I rise in this House today to talk about real change for Canadians. The middle class has gone too long without a raise, and in challenging economic times, we have taken action to help them.

The Economy  Mr. Speaker, the economy is still fragile, and middle-class families are having trouble making ends meet. People in my riding want a program that will help those who need it most instead of a program that helps rich families. Can the Minister of Finance tell us how he plans to help families more?

The Francophonie in Glengarry—Prescott—Russell  Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to rise in the House today to recognize the work of exceptional people in my riding of Glengarry—Prescott—Russell. Every year for nearly 20 years, the Prescott and Russell Banquet de la francophonie has recognized those individuals who have helped promote the Francophonie.

Resumption of debate on Address in Reply  Madam Speaker, I would like to congratulate my colleague on being re-elected. He is the dean of the House. His speech was interesting, but I did not hear him say much about infrastructure. Infrastructure is extremely important in my riding. Will an investment in excess of $60 billion or up to $125 billion over 10 years make a difference in his riding?

Resumption of Debate on Address in Reply  Mr. Speaker, I also want to congratulate the member on his election and I thank him for his question. Radio-Canada obviously plays a key role in francophone minority communities outside Quebec. This is what I have heard from the Assemblée de la francophonie de l’Ontario and the Fédération des communautés francophones et acadienne du Canada.

Resumption of Debate on Address in Reply  Mr. Speaker, I would like to congratulate my colleague from Gatineau on being elected. I am proud to be here alongside him. Official languages are certainly a very important issue to us and to my colleague from Gatineau. Certainly, in my riding, Glengarry—Prescott—Russell, I have often heard people talk about the importance of having official languages in Canada and of ensuring that the public service honours that fact.

Resumption of Debate on Address in Reply  Mr. Speaker, I want to congratulate the member on her election as well. During the campaign we spoke about the need to invest in innovation, and our commitment was to invest $200 million a year to increase the access to accelerators and incubators. It is extremely important for small businesses to contribute and have access to those types of services so we can create the better jobs of tomorrow.

Resumption of Debate on Address in Reply  Mr. Speaker, I first want to congratulate the member on his re-election. I was here on the Hill one Tuesday when the farmers came to demonstrate. We heard them say that they want their voices to be heard. I know that my colleague, the Minister of International Trade, has already consulted certain farm groups.

Resumption of Debate on Address in Reply  Mr. Speaker, as this is the first time I have risen in the House, I want to congratulate you on your election. I would also like to congratulate all my colleagues in the House on being voted into office. I have the opportunity to rise today because more than 34,000 voters put their trust in me, and I am extremely grateful.